Xbox One games are region-free, games play on imported consoles just fine

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A couple of days ago, Microsoft announced that the Xbox One would be delayed in eight out of 21 markets — Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Netherlands, Norway, Russia, Sweden, and Switzerland. While those regions should be familiar with getting shafted by the gaming industry since they aren’t the most major markets, this time around Microsoft has somewhat softened the blow. Microsoft has confirmed that Xbox One games will be region-free.

Region-free games means that if those territories can get their hands on an Xbox One at launch — likely through internet-based avenues — then they will not have an issue playing games in their home country. So, this time around, the shafting these regions will experience will likely be price-gouging and inflated shipping costs. If they put up with those unfortunate occurrences, then they can happily play Xbox One games.

While this is great news for those trapped in the unfortunate territories, there are still some drawbacks. Certain content procured through Xbox Live may not be available due to payment restrictions placed by the right holders. This means that if you live in one of the eight shafted territories, you would have to be able to provide payment through one of the methods used in the other 13 territories where the Xbox will be arriving on time. Restrictions also apply to certain services like Netflix or music platforms, as those may have individual policies separate from Microsoft.

There is a way around the payment method issue, though: pre-paid cards. If you purchased a pre-paid card from a market that Xbox Live does support, then the service wouldn’t know you’re making a purchase from a territory with payment restrictions.

The Xbox One will hit store shelves this November, and thanks to pre-paid cards and region-free games, regions that do not get a launch will be able to import and play games along with everyone else.